The Language Company - Student Zone

Welcome to your Student Zone insurance center!

Designed to provide you with information, advice and assistance if you need to use your insurance plan, but also as a resource for learning more about seeking medical care and helpful healthcare tips.

Here you will find information, advice and help with your student insurance plan through The Language Company. Your unique plan has been tailor-made to provide you with all the right coverage during your time abroad.

Please learn more about your insurance plan by clicking the appropriate option below:

Helpful tips on seeking treatment appropriately, workers compensation and general tips for good health when abroad.

As a traveler abroad, health care systems can seem costly, complex and very confusing. Many have been developed over
many years to be a mix of public and private components, which has led to some of the best health care in the world,
but at the same time it has made it very difficult to understand and navigate.

As an international visitor you will only be dealing with the private heath care sector (or if you are at a public
facility, they will treat you as a private patient) and they will charge you on a fee per service basis. The good
news is that with your insurance coverage takes much of the burden off your shoulder, however there are a few things
you can learn about healthcare systems and how to manage your insurance plan so you receive treatment quickly and
effectively.

Seeking Treatment Appropriately

If you need to seek medical treatment, please be sure to seek care appropriately for the condition/ situation. To
give you an example, here are a few common ways to seek treatment:

Cold/ Flu - most of the time, you can walk to the nearest pharmacy and purchase standard over the
counter cold and flu remedies that will help alleviate your symptoms. If your condition
worsens or you need to seek medical treatment please DO NOT go to the Emergency Room, but
locate a provider using the online search tool to find a doctor in your area,
call them up and make an appointment.

General Sickness/ Feeling Unwell - unless your symptoms are severe, please DO NOT visit the Emergency
Room for general sickness, but rather locate a provider
using the online search tool to find a doctor in your area, call them
up and make an appointment.

Acute Sickness/ Emergencies - if you experience an accident or an acute illness that comes on very
quickly and you need medical attention immediately please make your way to
the nearest Emergency Room or call the emergency services in your country
for immediate help and assistance.

As with anything, we ask you to use your judgment with a situation, if you feel you need immediate attention please
do not delay and go straight to the Emergency Room. If you condition is not severe, then you can either visit a
local doctor or urgent care center.

Healthcare Tips when Abroad

Conditions related to change in surroundings or situation affects the health of many international travelers.
Changes in the level of stress related to the new surroundings, pressures to learn a new language, changes in diet
or environmental factors such as heat/cold/pollen often lead to fatigue, headaches and stomach-aches. This certainly
applies to international exchange participants.

Diet
A change in diet can affect your health & feeling of wellness. Recognize that in addition to making
certain that you receive the proper nutrition, it may be wise to maintain a diet similar to what you are
accustomed. This is particularly true if you have adopted a faster pace, and rely more on fast-food
restaurants and vending machines. If your diet at home has been primarily vegetables, rice, beans or fish, a
switch to the red meats and fatty foods that are common at fast food restaurants can cause stomach problems.
Finally, a health diet is highly recommended to assist the body’s immune system fight illnesses.

Stress
The beginning of any new exchange program can be an extremely stressful experience. There are pressures of
adapting to the new environment and uncertain expectations. Your exchange organization offices often serve
as transitional support for students dealing with personal issues such as stress and adjusting to new
circumstances. International exchange has been aptly presented as both an opportunity and a challenge. You
need to be aware of how the resources are made available to meet these challenges.

Safety
Personal safety is a concern anywhere and at anytime but it does become more of a concern when living
abroad. Without being fully aware of one's new surroundings, you may not be aware of new risks associated
with your new home and the precautions needed to protect yourself and your property. These concerns vary by
location, but in general, the main worries are associated with personal safety, sexual assault, protection
of personal property, racial / religious hate crimes or bigotry and safety issues associated with driving
(whether autos or bicycles).

One of your first tasks of adjusting to your new home is to become acquainted with new surroundings and the
challenges it may present. You should be certain to check with your Advisor or Public Safety office to help
in your safety assessment of your new home and to get safety tips.

Substance Abuse
The problem of substance abuse affects many involved in exchange activities. The causes vary. Sometimes it
is associated with the stress of a new environment or the pressures associated with a new language.
Sometimes it develops from the independence or choice presented by their new living situation.

What do you need to do if you are sick or injured? Find out the best way to use your insurance plan and receive treatment quickly.

Your insurance plan has been designed to cover you in case the unexpected happens while are outside your home
country. Using your plan should be simple and easy. Here’s a quick overview on how to use your insurance plan:

A few things to note:

Coverage limits and exclusions - Please make sure you are fully aware of what your insurance
plan covers, and does not cover - please view the plan brochure
and policy conditions for more information on this.

Seek Treatment Appropriately - whenever you need to seek medical treatment, please remember to
seek treatment appropriately for your sickness/ injury. You can
find out more information about seeking appropriate treatment in
our healthcare system pages

Outside the USA - before you seek treatment it is VERY IMPORTANT that you call HCC prior to
seeking any treatment. They will be able to find a provider close to you, and
will call ahead to make sure the provider is setup and they will accept direct
billing. If you do not call ahead or seek treatment on your own, there is no
problem in doing this, however you will need to pay for your medical expenses up
front and then submit a claim form for reimbursement.

Non-Emergency Care

Step 1 - For any non-emergency medical care that you need attention for (examples would be
the flu, a cold, and minor injuries and illnesses), please visit a local doctor,
urgent care center or walk-in medical clinic. Providers can be located using our
online provider search tool, or you can call the assistance number for help
locating one nearest to you. Doctors will require an appointment, while clinics may
let you walk in for immediate assistance.

Please note: Do not go to the emergency room if it is not a true emergency as any illness that
is not admitted will be subject to an additional deductible.

Step 2 - When you arrive, be sure to hand over your insurance ID card and inform them that
your insurance is part of the First Health Network (the logos on your
insurance ID Card)

Step 3 - In-network providers should be able to bill direct, so you will just need to pay
your deductible if your plan has one, and the bills will be sent direct for
processing by the claims team. Out-of-network providers may ask for payment upfront,
in which case you will need to pay the provider and then submit a claim form for
reimbursement. If at any point you receive a bill from a provider, please complete a
claim form and email those documents for processing.

Emergency Care

Step 1 - If you need emergency care, go to the nearest hospital emergency room or call the
emergency services (911 in the US) for immediate assistance. Providers can be located
using our online provider search tool, or you can call
the assistance number for help locating one nearest to you.

Step 2 - When you arrive, be sure to hand over your insurance ID card and inform them that
your insurance is part of the First Health Network (the logo on your
insurance ID Card).

IMPORTANT - If you do not pre-notify, medical
expenses will be reduced by 50% and
all other expenses will be
forfeited.

Prescription Medications

If you visit a doctor and he prescribes you medications, you will need to pay for this medication upfront at the
pharmacy and then submit a fully completed claim form to be reimbursed for these expenses.

In certain areas of the USA there are discounted, or free prescription drug programs available which you might want
to utilize to lower your costs - they include:

Publix - available in the South
East of the USA, Publix
supermarkets offer a
free prescription drug
program

Wal-Mart - available all over
the USA, Wal-Mart
offers a discounted
$4 prescription drug
program

ShopRite - available at ShopRite
locations, they offer a
free antibiotics when
prescribed

We will continue to add more programs as they become available, and the information here is for resource only and we
cannot guarantee the programs will be available to everyone.

Provider Locator

To locate a provider inside the USA, please visit our provider locator tool
to search for medical facilities that are close to you. If you are outside the USA, you have freedom of choice in
visiting a particular provider and if you need further assistance please call the emergency service helpline to
locate a provider.

If you need to find a provider near your location, please use the online provider search tool to locate the nearest affiliate doctor/ hospital.

The International Student Insurance plans have a provider network that is available both inside and outside the USA.
Wherever possible, please make sure you seek treatment at a provider within the network to make sure we can bill
direct (to save you paying out of pocket).

PLEASE NOTE - When outside the USA, before you seek treatment it is VERY IMPORTANT that you call
HCC prior to seeking any treatment. They will be able to find a provider close to
you, and will call ahead to make sure the provider is setup and they will accept
direct billing. If you do not call ahead or seek treatment on your own, there is no
problem in doing this, however you will need to pay for your medical expenses up
front and then submit a claim form for reimbursement.

Find out about how to submit your claim form, where to submit a claim form, what to do if you need to find the status of a claim and much more.

This section will provide you with all the information on how to handle any claims you need to make with your
insurance plan. If you need to make a claim, please download either the English or Spanish claim form:

Standard Claim Forms

Injury/ Accident Claim Forms

Dental Claim Forms

Medical Claims in the USA

If you are receiving treatment through one of the network provider
(providers can be found online here) your insurance
plan can direct pay the provider. Simply hand over your insurance ID card with the network logos on them and pay
your deductible (if you have one) - the rest of the bill will be taken care of by your insurance plan. In certain
circumstances, a claim form may still be needed, however you will be contacted if this is case or if you have
bills that have been sent to you by a provider, please complete a claim form and send those into us for processing.

If you have been given a prescription by the doctor, please visit any local pharmacy to obtain this and pay the
pharmacy in full for your prescription. You will then need to complete a claim form and include your original
receipts to be reimbursed these expenses. The fastest way to submit a claim form is via email, however you can mail
and fax the documents also if you wish.

Medical Claims outside the USA

If you are based outside the USA and called in advance of medical treatment to obtain the benefits of the Europ
Assist network, your bills will have been submitted directly to HCC for settlement and there will be nothing else
on your part to do. If you did not call in advance of treatment, or the provider requires you to pay them up front -
you will need to complete a claim form and submit that with all your bills, receipts and medical documents to:

Luggage Claims

If your plan includes the benefit, and you have lost your luggage or had it stolen you can submit a claim against
your insurance plan to be reimbursed as per your plan benefits. Please double check your plan brochure and insurance
certificate for the actual coverage in your plan.

To submit a claim, you will first need to make sure you file a claim with either the local police (if it is stolen)
or the transportation provider who lost your luggage. Once you have done that, please print off the claim form and
complete parts A and C (you can leave part B blank) and submit the claim form along with an itemized list of all
lost/ stolen items and their value, and a copy of the claim/ report you from either the police or the transportation
provider. You can then submit these documents to us at:

Log in online and track the status of your claims in real-time, including downloading of your EOB's and find out how your claims were processed.

MESA stands for Member Enrollment Self-Service Access and is a web portal used to access an individual's information
concerning claims and explanation of benefits. When a claim is processed, you will receive an email letting you
know a new EOB is available for you to access and download. You simply log online to track claims and view how the
claim was processed – with no delays or waiting!